Double Homicide Suspect Pleads Not Guilty At District Court Arraignment

Caressa Jill Hardy, also known as Glen Dibley, appeared before Missoula District Court Judge James Wheelis on Tuesday for two counts of deliberate homicide.

Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst was the prosecutor in the courtroom for the transgendered woman.

“She appeared today in custody in the historic courtroom three at the Missoula County Courthouse before Judge Wheelis for her arraignment,” Pabst said. “The judge went through her rights and penalties in great detail, and Ms. Hardy entered please of not guilty to all charges. The court set the matter for an omnibus hearing in mid-November.”

Pabst reiterated the charges against Hardy/Dibley.

“She is charged with two counts of deliberate homicide for the murders of Robert Orozco and Thomas Korjack, which we believe occurred at the end of March in 2013 at their mutual residence in Frenchtown,” said Pabst. “Beginning the investigation by talking to an eyewitness of the fatal shootings, the sheriff’s department spent months and months investigating every detail surrounding the allegations. We believe the motive for the killings was financial. We look forward to presenting the case to a jury.”

Hardy, who now sports a shaved head, remains in the Missoula County Jail on $2 million bond.

Jail Commander Jason Kowalski said the facility has the capacity and training to house a transgendered person to provide security and respect for all the inmates.

“We have to protect their safety, and we also have to protect the safety of the other inmates, so there are some unique aspects to holding someone who is transgender in our facility,” he said. “Just because they identify possibly as a female doesn’t mean we house them with the females because there are certainly some safety concerns there. The same way, we won’t put a female that identifies as a male in with the male population because there are some possible victimization issues there, as well.”

Pabst said as of Wednesday, September 20, neither of the bodies had yet been found, although there is sufficient forensic evidence to charge her with two counts of deliberate homicide.